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. 2021 Jul 23:14:3079-3090.
doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S317779. eCollection 2021.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards COVID-19 Among Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study

Maha M AlRasheed  1 , Amani H AlShahrani  1 , Sara A AlMuhaini  1 , Hadeel A AlKofide  1 , Tariq M Alhawassi  1   2 , Ahmed Aldemerdash  1 , Omar A Alhaj  3 , Nicola L Bragazzi  4 , Haitham A Jahrami  5   6
Affiliations

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards COVID-19 Among Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study

Maha M AlRasheed et al. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. .

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 outbreak has caused governments to put pandemic-related guidelines requiring compliance and understanding by healthcare professionals to mitigate its spread uncontrollably. We studied pharmacists' knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the COVD-19 outbreak compared with other healthcare workers during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: We surveyed pharmacists' socio-demographics (n=50) compared with other healthcare professionals (n=378) during lockdown starting in June 2020. We measured respondents' level of knowledge (n=10 questions, maximum score of 10), attitude (n=17 questions, maximum score of 80), and their practices (n=16 questions, maximum score of 80) towards COVID-19 infection.

Results: Median knowledge score was 8 (25th-75th percentiles: 7-9), attitude score 76 (70-80) and practice score 74 (68-78). Good knowledge predictors were >20 years working experience [OR: 2.05 (95% CI: 1.03-4.06); P=0.04] and >50% working in clinical practice [OR: 1.72 (95% CI: 1.12-2.66); P=0.01], in inverse relationship with paramedical professions [OR: 0.45 (95% CI: 0.45 (0.28-0.72)); P=0.001] and working in a university hospital [OR: 0.51 (95% CI: 0.33. 0.81); P=0.004]. Availability of pharmaceutical information and treatment options was associated with good attitude [OR: 2.19 (95% CI: 1.04-4.59); P=0.039] and acquaintance as primary information sources negatively associated with good attitude [OR: 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15-0.8); P=0.013]. Good practice predictors were female gender [OR: 3.84 (95% CI: 2.37-6.24); P<0.001], military hospital employment [OR: 2.32 (95% CI: 1.25-4.31); P=0.008], USA [OR: 3.41 (95% CI: 1.03-11.22); P=0.044] or UK [OR: 8.86 (95% CI: 1.91-41.07); P=0.005] qualifications, and information on supportive measures [OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.36-3.56); P=0.001].

Conclusion: Health workers displayed good knowledge about COVID-19, while profession and working experience predicted adequate knowledge, positive attitude, or practice towards disease management.

Keywords: COVID-19; attitudes; knowledge; pandemic; pharmacists; practices.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box plots of the distribution of knowledge, attitude, and practice scores between pharmacists and other healthcare workers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter plot of knowledge and attitude scores.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scatter plot of practice and attitude scores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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